BERWICK, Maine — The Maine Attorney General’s Office is helping to investigate the fatal accident that claimed the life of a special-education teacher last week, according to Berwick Police Detective Bill Russell.

According to the Portland Press Herald, Deputy Attorney General William Stokes said his office was asked by York County District Attorney Kathryn Slattery to oversee the investigation because the driver of the vehicle who survived the crash is related to her family.

Stokes told the newspaper he is not allowed to identify the 17-year-old driver because he is a juvenile and has not been charged with any crimes, but he is fairly certain the teenager is not Slattery’s son. Stokes said he was not aware of their exact relationship and it is not unusual for a public official to take over a case like this to avoid any conflicts of interest.

On April 10, Amy Harris, 34, a special-education teacher at the Vivian E. Hussey School in Berwick, was pronounced dead after a vehicle operated by a 17-year old Berwick Academy student crossed the center line of Route 4 and hit her car head on, minutes after 8 a.m.

Berwick police have not released the name of the 17-year old male driver, but they are working to try to uncover what happened at the time of the crash, according to the Portland Press Herald.

Harris was traveling with her two children, Abbie, 4, and Luke, 7, at the time of the collision. Abbie suffered lacerations and was released from a local hospital on the day of the accident, but her brother had to be transported to Massachusetts General Hospital, where he underwent surgery for a broken vertebra and torn intestine, according to the Press Herald.

Harris was said by Superintendent Steven Connolly of MSAD 60 to have been a lifelong local resident and that the community has been greatly affected by the loss.

Harris was Noble High School graduate in 1997, where her stepfather Jon Appleby still works. Her father, Mark Pendergast, owns Salmon Falls Landscape in Berwick, and her mother, Christine, owns Salmon Falls Nursery in Berwick.

The Press Herald reported Sam Harris, Amy’s husband, works as a lead residential foreman for Salmon Falls Nursery and Landscaping, installing hardscaping, trees and shrubs.

A Facebook page called, “Angels for Amy Harris,” has been created and currently has 1,062 members.

According to the Facebook page, a silent auction will be held Friday, May 17 from 6 to 10 p.m., at the Spring Hill in South Berwick. All proceeds from the auction will go to support the Harris family.